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Power and Justice

Toward an Understanding of Legitimacy

Emory University, Atlanta, GA, khegtv{at}emory.edu

Cathryn Johnson

Emory University, Atlanta, GA, cjohns{at}emory.edu

Legitimacy generally compels people to feel an obligation to follow the social rules dictated by an authority. While much social psychological research focuses on the consequences of legitimacy, far less pertains to its emergence. Here the authors examine the role of justice and power in establishing the legitimacy of a decision maker. The authors outline the identity-based model offered by Tyler that highlights the role of procedural justice and offer a complementary resource-based model. The authors argue that the power structure in an organization and the nature of power use by authorities affect the availability of the material and nonmaterial resources necessary for subordinates to do their jobs well, which in turn creates social obligations that allow for the germination of legitimacy. With emphasis on resources, the analysis thus reconsiders the role of distributive justice. The authors conclude by emphasizing the conditions under which identity concerns and resource concerns are relevant to the emergence of legitimacy and by speculating on how these social psychological processes may parallel arguments in this volume regarding the emergence of state legitimacy.

Key Words: power • justice • legitimacy

American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 53, No. 3, 376-399 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0002764209338798


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